


Family Pictures 2

by Stacy LA Stronach (slashgirl)



Series: Family Pictures [2]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: F/M, Family, Kidfic, M/M, OFC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1998-01-01
Updated: 1998-01-01
Packaged: 2017-12-11 12:56:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/798978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashgirl/pseuds/Stacy%20LA%20Stronach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written sometime in 97/98, I think. Part 2 of the Family Pictures series</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Pictures 2

1997, The Loft 

 

Jim walked up behind Blair, who was getting the vegetables ready  
for dinner, and slid his arms around the younger man's waist,  
kissing his neck. "Hmm, looks good, love, " Jim said. 

 

"Yeah, dinner'll be ready in about twenty minutes, " Blair  
replied, as he put the pot on the burner. 

 

"Who said I was talking about dinner? " 

 

Turning around and sliding his arms around Jim's neck, Blair  
murmured, "In that case, thanks. " He reached up to kiss his lover but  
before he could make contact, Jim pulled away, listening. 

 

"Sadryna's here, " he said, as he walked over to open the door,  
before his sister could knock. His sister was standing there, her son,  
Jacob, in one arm, a baby carrier in the other. 

 

"Here, let me help you with that, " Jim offered, reaching for his  
nephew, as Sadryna walked into the loft. She watched Jim as she  
placed the carrier on the floor and took off her jacket, hanging  
it on the rack beside the door. Jim held his nephew in his large hands  
and slowly raised the boy over his head, moving him back  
and forth, saying "Wheee, you like that, don't ya, Little Guy? "  
Said Little Guy did seem to be enjoying the view from his lofty  
perch, gurgling happily, his little arms and legs moving up and  
down. 

 

Sadryna walked over to where Blair was standing, watching his  
lover and his nephew, and she slipped her arms around his waist,  
giving him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Blair smiled, and  
returned her embrace, as Sadryna spoke. "Ya know, Blair, it's a  
good thing Jim found you first, otherwise I'd be trying to get my hooks  
into you. " 

 

"Well, at least good taste in men seems to run in your family, "  
Blair laughingly replied. 

 

"Do you think Jim would consider time sharing you? You could  
spend a few days with him, a few days with me, it could work, "  
Sadryna teased, whispering, but knowing Jim would hear her. 

 

"Not in this lifetime. Not even for my sister. I never did learn  
how to share, Sadryna, " Jim answered, smiling, as he sat on the  
couch, cradling Jacob in one arm. 

 

"Ah, well, a girl's gotta try, doesn't she? " Sadryna laughed as  
she moved to sit down on the other couch. 

 

As Blair sat beside Jim on the couch, he looked at his lover,  
"Jim, can I hold Jacob. Please, " he asked. 

 

"Sure thing, Chief, " Jim answered, handing his nephew over to his lover.  
Blair held the little boy at arms length then brought him  
close and placed his mouth against Jacob's tummy, and blew  
against it, making a loud noise. Jacob gurgled and wiggled,  
liking it. Blair brought the baby to rest against his shoulder  
and few seconds later, he winced, and looked at the child. Jacob  
had a fistful of Blair's hair, and was proceeding to put it in  
his mouth and chew on it. "Hey, Jake, that's still attached to my head,  
if you don't mind. " 

 

"Jacob, " Sadryna said rather sternly, looking at Blair. 

 

"What? " Blair asked, confused. 

 

"His name is not `Jake'. It's Jacob. If I'd wanted him to be  
called Jake, I'd have named him that, " Sadryna replied, quite  
serious. 

 

"Sorry, Sadryna. I won't do it again, " Blair said, contritely. 

 

"It's okay, Blair, but I just really hate nicknames. I used to  
get called `Sadie' all the time, and it annoyed the hell out of  
me, so I guess I'm a little touchy about the subject, " she  
replied. 

 

"Tell me about, I can't tell you how much I hate being called  
`Jimmy', it reminds me too much of my father, " Jim said. 

 

Sadryna looked at her brother, "Have you heard from Stephen yet? " she  
asked. 

 

"Yeah, he's coming home tomorrow, said his flight should arrive  
by 3:00 at the latest. Sadryna, I was wondering if we could do  
this at your house. You've got the more recent pictures of Mom,  
and if Stephen has any questions, you'd be better able to answer  
them than I would, " Jim explained. 

 

"No problem, Jim. I'm looking forward to finally meeting Stephen, why  
don't you guys come over for dinner? " she replied. 

 

Jim agreed, and the conversation turned to other topics. 

 

A little while later, Blair looked at Jim, then at Sadryna,  
cleared his throat and spoke, "Sadryna, I'd like to ask you  
something. " 

 

Sadryna looked at him, not sure where this was going, but  
curious, said, "Ask away, Blair. " 

 

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I know you don't want to be  
studied, but, like, I was wondering if you'd mind doing a few  
tests, so I could do a comparison between your skills and Jim's.  
You'd be totally anonymous, and it would just be for a few tests. It  
would add some validity to my thesis, and it would help prove the genetic  
aspect of this. Please? " 

 

"Blair, really, I don't know. I don't know how comfortable I'd be with  
this, " Sadryna answered. 

 

"Oh, please, Sadryna, it would mean so much to me, " Blair  
pleaded, using his best puppy dog eyes on her, figuring if it  
worked with Jim, it might work with her. 

 

Sighing, she looked from Blair to Jim, "How in the hell do you  
resist him when he's like this, Jim? " 

 

"It's not often I can say no to him, " Jim, admitted, smiling. 

 

"Alright, Blair, I'll do some tests for you, but Jacob is still  
off limits, he's too young! " she told Blair, and was rewarded  
with a smile, and a hug. 

 

"Oh, thank you, Sadryna, so much. You don't know what this  
means to me, to my thesis! " Blair said, his mind reeling with the possibilities.  
Jim and Sadryna both laughed at his enthusiasm. 

 

Sadryna Cameron's house, two days later 

 

Stephen Ellison was extremely curious as he ate his dinner. When  
he'd arrived home from his business trip, Jim had met with him,  
and told him there was a woman he wanted Stephen to meet.  
However, he wouldn't tell him anything else. So, they'd come to  
her house, and he'd met her, but they still wouldn't tell him  
anything, Jim had said they'd discuss this after dinner. Stephen  
had tried to figure out why she was so important, but hadn't been able  
to come up with anything. He knew she wasn't Jim's  
girlfriend or anything, Jim and Blair were almost inseparable as  
a couple. So, he was left curious, and hoping that dinner would  
be over quickly. 

 

After dinner was finished, they moved into the library, where  
Jim, finally, told Stephen why they were here. 

 

"Stephen, Sadryna is our sister. Well, to be accurate, our halfsister, "  
Jim explained, watching his brother. 

 

Stephen sat completely still, looking from Jim to Sadryna, then  
back at Jim. "Our sister? How? I mean...Mom? " he said, confusion  
in his voice. 

 

Jim moved to sit beside his brother, putting his arm around him,  
"Yes, Stephen, Mom. She remarried a couple years after she  
divorced dad. " 

 

"How did you find out about this, how do you know it's true,  
Jim? " 

 

Sadryna took the old black and white picture of the boys with  
their mother and a more recent one of Cathryn off the mantle and  
handed them to Stephen. He looked at them, running his fingers  
over the picture of their mother. 

 

"Blair and Siobhan are colleagues and she invited us over for  
dinner and I saw these pictures, and I asked her about them. The  
next day I came over, showed her my copy of that old photo and  
she told me why our mother left, " Jim explained, still not  
wanting his brother to know about the Sentinel aspect of things. 

 

"You know? " Stephen asked Sadryna. 

 

"Yes, do you want to know, Stephen? " she asked, sitting on the  
other side of her brother, taking one of his hands between hers. 

 

Stephen didn't say anything, just looked at her and nodded his  
head. So, Sadryna told him, the same story she'd told Jim. When  
she finished, Stephen angrily asked her, "How do you know she was telling  
you the truth, not just some lie to cover the fact she  
left us? " 

 

Sadryna moved her hand to stroke the side of his face, to try and comfort  
him, but he moved away, so she rested her hand on his  
shoulder. "Stephen, I know our mother, and if you'd seen the pain in  
her eyes, and heard it in her voice, you'd know, " she  
explained, quietly. 

 

"Yeah, well, I guess you'd know better than I would, wouldn't  
you? " he asked bitterly. "I don't believe you, or her! Dad said  
she left because she hated us! Why would he lie to us? " Stephen  
yelled at her. 

 

"Dammit! Stephen! Why wouldn't Dad lie to us? After the way he  
treated us growing up? The way he'd react if we even whispered  
Mom's name and he heard us? You'd believe him? My God, Stephen,  
think about it-- " Jim said, raising his voice. 

 

"What? I'm supposed to believe what some woman I've only known a  
few hours says? And you believe her, Jim? You've only known her  
for what, a week? " Stephen shouted at his brother. "I've gotta  
get out of here, " he muttered, rushing out of the library. 

 

Jim started to go after him, but Sadryna's hand on his arm  
stopped him. "Jim, he has to deal with this in his own way. He  
was much younger than you when she left, and you did say it  
affected him more deeply, didn't you? " 

 

"Yes, but... " 

 

"Give him some time to sort through what he's feeling. He's  
believed one thing for so long, it's difficult to think there  
might be another reason for what happened so long ago. Let him be for  
tonight, give him a call tomorrow, and talk to him, okay? "  
she said, giving her brother a hug. 

 

"She's right, Jim, just give him some time, when he's calmed  
down, I'm sure he'll want to talk, " Blair said, coming up behind  
his lover, wrapping his arms around him. 

 

"I suppose you're both right, " Jim sighed, as he turned around to hold  
Blair to him. 

 

Stephen Ellison's apartment 

 

Stephen had managed to get home without crying. As he poured  
himself some Scotch, he felt the tears starting, and managed to  
get to the couch before the sobs overtook him. He was so  
confused, he didn't know what to think, what to believe. Did his  
mother really love him? He thought about what Sadryna had said.  
And what Jim had said about their father, and he remembered, how  
their father could react when their mother was mentioned... 

 

1972, The Ellison Household 

 

Stephen knelt by his bed, saying his prayers, as he always did  
before going to bed. He whispered, quietly, "Thank you, God, for  
all the blessings in my life, for Jimmy, for the food on our  
table, the roof over our heads. Oh, and thanks for helping me  
pass my English test the other day. God, can I ask you for  
something? I've tried my best to be a good boy, will you make my  
Mommy come home, please, I miss her. I promise, I'll be a good  
boy forever, if you just let her come home... " 

 

He stopped when he heard a noise outside his door, and realizing  
it was his father, added a prayer in his head *Please don't let  
Dad have heard me, he'll be so mad at me, please God*. 

 

This night, his prayers went unanswered, as his father strode  
into his room, turning on the overhead light, glaring at his  
younger son. "How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that  
whore in this house, boy? How many! " he said harshly, as he  
removed the belt from his pants. Stephen looked up at his father, towering  
over him, and started to cry. "You're such a damn  
crybaby! I can't believe you're my son, you're so weak! " he  
hissed. 

 

He picked the boy up by the collar of his pyjama top, throwing  
him across the bed, then yanked his pants down. Stephen braced  
himself for the sting of the leather against his backside, he  
didn't want to cry out, it only enraged his father further. He  
heard the belt as it whistled through the air towards him, then  
_whack!_ as it hit him and he cried out as he felt the metal of  
the buckle gouge his skin. "NOOO! Daddy, please stop! I'll be  
good, I promise-- " His pleas were cut off by another whack of the belt  
and he started screaming "NO! Daddy, no! " over and over as  
his father continued to hit him. "I'll teach you, you little  
bastard!! " his father said. 

 

Jim was studying in his bedroom, listening to the radio, when he  
heard the first scream out of his little brother. He quickly  
jumped up, opened his door and hearing the sound of leather  
hitting flesh, he ran into his brother's room. He took in what  
was happening--his father was hitting his brother with the buckle end  
of the belt as hard and fast as he could, Jim could already  
see several cuts and welts forming on his brother's backside. His father  
was like some maniac, he didn't even know Jim was in the  
room. Jim went over and grabbed the belt, wincing at the sting it caused,  
but able to rip it out of his enraged father's hand. 

 

"Give that back to me, NOW, Jimmy! Or you'll regret it! " his  
father sneered at him, advancing on his elder son. 

 

Jim stood his ground. At 14 he was already about 5' 10 ", and he  
was quite strong--his cousin had turned him onto body building,  
and he worked it for strength as well as definition. His father  
was taller than he, but wiry and thin, no match for his elder  
son. "Yeah, c'mon, `Dad', give me a reason to use this on you,  
I'm waiting, " Jim dared his father, hatred pouring forth from his entire  
body, as he snapped the belt in his hand. 

 

Joe stopped, looking at his son, something about the way his son  
was standing, the way those blue eyes (so much like Cathryn's)  
were looking at him, with such loathing, scared him. He backed  
down, and looking at both boys with contempt, said, "Clean your  
brother up, Jimmy, and I don't want to hear any more noise out of either  
of you tonight, is that clear, boy? " 

 

"Yes, `sir', " Jim replied, hatred in his voice. 

 

Jim waited until he heard his father go into his own bedroom,  
before he turned to his brother, who was sobbing on the bed. He  
looked at the cuts and angry red welts which had formed across  
his brothers buttocks and upper thighs, knowing Stevie would  
never be able to walk to the bathroom. Jim pulled the pyjama  
bottoms the rest of the way off of his brother, then picked him  
up, carefully placing him over his shoulder, carrying him into  
the bathroom, so he could tend to the boy's wounds. 

 

Jim slid Stephen off of his shoulder, getting him to stand up.  
Stephen winced as the pyjama top brushed against his wounds, so  
Jim removed it for him. He cleaned out the cuts from the belt  
buckle, then applied the iodine, warning his brother that it  
would hurt. Stephen started crying again, and Jim quickly and  
gently bandaged the deeper cuts. Jim didn't try to put anything  
on the welts, it would hurt too much, he'd put some salve on them tomorrow. 

 

Stephen was still softly crying when Jim finished dressing his  
wounds. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight, Stevie? " Jim  
asked his brother. When his brother nodded yes, Jim leant down so Stephen  
could wrap his arms around Jim's neck, and Jim put his  
arms around Stephen's back, picking him up, but careful not to  
touch the sore spots. 

 

Once they were in Jim's room, he set his brother down, and  
quickly changed into his own pyjamas. He grabbed one of his  
flannel night shirts and put it on his brother, who swam in the  
garment, but it was long enough that the edge of it didn't rub  
against his welts, and the flannel would be softer than other  
materials against his wounds. Jim climbed into his bed, then  
patted the space beside him, and Stephen got in beside him,  
curling up to his brother's side. Jim stroked the younger boy's  
hair and back, waiting for him to fall asleep before he could  
allow himself to fall asleep. He wished he knew where their  
mother was, because if he did, he'd runaway right now, taking  
Stephen with him, away from this house. That was just a pipe  
dream, he knew, they were both stuck here until they were old  
enough to leave on their own... 

 

1997, Stephen Ellison's apartment 

 

Stephen lay on his bed, and ran his hand down the left side of  
his body, he could feel the scars from that long ago beating.  
He'd often wondered what would have happened if Jim hadn't come  
in and stopped their father that night. But Jim had come in time, as  
he almost always had. After that night, Jim had always kept a  
close eye on Stephen, making sure their father didn't beat him  
like that again. He sighed, despite the whole competition thing  
their father had created between them, Jim had always been there  
for him, hell, even when he'd beat the old man's car with the  
crowbar, Jim still protected him, by not telling the truth. *But  
look what that stupid trip cost me--Jim left home and I didn't  
see him for 15 years--I was so fucking stupid* he thought, as he  
fell asleep. 

 

The next morning, Stephen woke up and saw that it was only five  
o'clock. Knowing he'd never get back to sleep, he got up, made  
himself breakfast, sat out on his patio to eat it, and watched as the  
sun started to break over the horizon. He thought about what  
had happened the day before, and his reaction to it. *I can be  
such a prick, sometimes* he thought ruefully. Stephen knew, deep  
down, that what his mother had told Sadryna was probably the  
truth--after all his father was not the nicest man on earth, but  
he'd like to hear it from his mother directly. *Dear God, to see her  
after all these years...I missed her so much. What will I  
feel when I finally see her? Will I be able to forgive her? Oh,  
God, I hope so, I really hope so,* and as he thought about his  
mum, he could feel the tears starting again, but didn't allow  
himself to cry. *I've done enough of that for awhile.* As the sun rose  
over the horizon, throwing a pinkish cast on everything,  
Stephen decided that first thing this morning, well, later this  
morning, he'd go over and see his...sister. He liked that, the  
fact that he had a sister--it was a little strange, as he'd only  
ever had a brother, but he figured he could get used to it.  
Smiling, he realized that he also had a nephew, *Uncle Stephen, I like  
the sound of that* he thought, as he went inside to get  
dressed. 

 

The Loft 

 

Jim slowly came awake to the feeling of something wet and warm  
against his chest, specifically over one of his nipples. Moaning, Jim  
brought his hands up to grab a hold of his lover's head,  
moving Blair up so he could kiss him. Their mouths met, open,  
tongues seeking each other for a slow, gently, passionate kiss.  
Jim sighed, for as much as he kissed his lover, he never tired of him,  
of his wonderful taste and knew that he never would. 

 

Blair shifted slightly so that their erections were pressed  
against each other, and he slowly started moving his hips back  
and forth. Jim moved his hands, stroking them across his lover's  
back, down to caress his ass, cupping the cheeks in his hands,  
holding him closer, increasing the pleasure. 

 

Moving away from the sweetness of Jim's mouth, Blair started  
kissing his neck, down to gently bite and suck on his shoulder.  
Blair moved his hands between their bodies, fingers tweaking  
Jim's nipples, making the older man groan, and he thrust harder  
against Blair. As they pushed against one another, Blair knew he was  
close to coming, and he started moaning as he felt the  
tension build in his body, and with one final hard thrust against Jim,  
he came, spurting across Jim's cock and stomach. 

 

The look of ecstasy on his lover's face, the feel of the warm  
liquid on his body and the smell of Blair's cum sent Jim over the edge.  
With two more quick thrusts against his lover, Jim  
orgasmed, his seed mixing with his lover's. He held the younger  
man against him, whispering to him, "Oh, God, Blair, I love you  
so much, so much. " 

 

Still not capable of saying much, Blair lifted his head, blue  
eyes meeting blue eyes, and gently kissed his lover on the mouth, mumbling,  
"Love you, babe. " 

 

After a few minutes, Jim became quite aware of the sticky mess on their  
stomach's, and found it very uncomfortable. "Hey, Chief, we better get  
out of bed and get a shower, before we're stuck  
together forever, " Jim suggested. 

 

"And that would be a problem? " Blair asked, smiling at his lover. 

 

"Well, it would make going to work kinda difficult, now, wouldn't it? "  
Jim asked. 

 

"Oh, I guess you've got a point there, man, " Blair replied as he  
climbed off of Jim. 

 

After the two men showered and dressed they started getting the  
things they'd need for the picnic they were going to have this  
afternoon, with Sadryna and Jacob, and maybe Stephen. 

 

Looking at the clock, Jim decided to call his brother, but all he got  
was Stephen's answering machine. He wondered where his  
brother would be at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning, and  
decided to call again, later. 

 

Sadryna Cameron's house 

 

Stephen rang the doorbell, and Mary opened the door, "Good  
morning, Mr. Ellison, how can I help you? " 

 

"I was wondering if I'd be able to speak with Sadryna, Mary. " 

 

"Of course, she's eating breakfast. Come in, and follow me, " Mary said  
as she walked into the kitchen. 

 

Sadryna sat in the breakfast nook, in a blue silk robe, and fuzzy blue  
slippers, reading the paper as she drank her juice. She  
looked up when she heard them enter the kitchen, surprise on her  
face at seeing her brother there. "Morning, Stephen, " she said,  
smiling at him, "Have you had breakfast yet? " 

 

"Yeah, I have. I just needed to talk to you, " he replied, as he  
sat down across from her. "Look, about yesterday, I'm sorry I  
acted like such an ass. This was just so...unexpected. It's just  
that Mom's leaving us was...I had a really hard time with it--I  
was closer to her than I was to Dad. I didn't believe, couldn't  
believe that we were the reason she left. But I heard it so much  
that... And I was jealous of you--you've had her in your life,  
all of your life and I didn't... " he trailed off, looking at his  
sister. 

 

Sadryna smiled, almost sadly. "Stephen, you don't have to  
apologize for what you felt, for what you're feeling--you're  
entitled. And it was a shock, finding out you have a sister and  
what really happened with your parents. As for being jealous,  
believe it or not, I do know how you feel. I used to be jealous  
of you and Jim. " 

 

"Why would you be jealous of us? " Stephen asked. 

 

"Because for all that I had Mom in my life, it was like a part of her  
was missing--the part that would've made her truly happy. I  
mean, I know she loved Daddy and me dearly, and she really tried  
to be happy, but without you two in her life... I remember she  
used to talk to me about the two of you and that sadness would go away  
for that little while. It always came back though. Sometimes I think  
the years you had with her were better, she was complete  
then. There were times I wished she'd never had you boys, and  
other times that I wanted nothing more than the two of you to  
come and live with us. It was usually the second choice--I hated  
being an only child. " Sadryna smiled as she remembered, "I  
remember, I must have been about 8 or 9 years old, and she was  
telling me some story about you or Jim, and when I saw the joy in her  
eyes, I vowed that I would do everything I could to make her  
look like that as much as possible. I managed it a few times, but they  
were few and far between. That's why I'm hoping that you  
guys want to see her again--it would make her happy, and I hope  
that it would make you two happy as well. " 

 

"She missed us that much? " Stephen enquired, wanting to believe  
it. 

 

"Yes, and that's one of the reasons I knew she was telling me the truth  
about what happened with her and your father. That and the  
fact that she admitted to her part in what happened, she didn't  
try and make your father out to be a man who'd kicked her out for no  
reason. It wasn't until I had Jacob, though, that I really  
understood how difficult it was for her, not being able to see  
her children. If that had happened to me, I don't know what I  
would've done, " she finished, looking at her brother. 

 

Stephen didn't say anything, he just sat there, staring out the  
window, considering what Sadryna had told him. Sadryna stood  
up, and went over, hugging her brother, and he returned the  
embrace, accepting the comforting. 

 

Sadryna straightened up, her head to the side, as if listening  
for something, "Ah, speaking of his Lordship, I think he's awake. I have  
to go up and feed him, then get dressed, Stephen. Oh, Jim, Blair and  
I are going for a picnic lunch today, at Cascade Park,  
and you're invited, if you'd like to come, " she said. 

 

"I'd like that a lot, Sadryna, thanks, " he replied. 

 

"Well, why don't you give Jim a call and let him know. Then once  
I'm ready, we can head down there, okay? " 

 

"Sounds like a plan, I'll go and call Jim, " Stephen said. 

 

Cascade Park, later that day 

 

It was a beautiful day for a picnic, the sun was shining, and it  
was a hot day, but there was a cool breeze coming in off the  
water. Sadryna opened the picnic basket that Mary had packed for  
them, and started to take the food out. There were several kinds  
of sandwiches, cold cuts, a tossed salad, and potato salad. 

 

"Man, Mary packed enough food for an army in there, " Blair said. 

 

"She didn't want us to go hungry, " Sadryna explained, "And you  
guys better save room for dessert, there's cake, pie, and cookies as  
well. " 

 

"Hey, Jim, look, there's Simon and Daryl, " Blair said, pointing  
to the walk way. 

 

"Do you mind if I ask them to join us? " Jim asked his family.  
When no one objected, he called out to his Captain. "Hey, Simon,  
come on over. " 

 

Simon and Daryl walked over, "Hey, see you guys are out enjoying  
this fine weather we're having, " Simon said. 

 

"Yeah, if you guys haven't had lunch, why don't you join us? " Jim asked. 

 

"Cool, man. Look at all that food, I'm starved! " Daryl exclaimed, as  
he sat down next to Blair and picked up a plate. 

 

Simon laughed as he sat down, between Stephen and Sadryna, "I  
guess that's a yes, Jim. " 

 

"Simon, Daryl, I'd like you to meet my sister, Sadryna Cameron.  
Sadryna, this is my Captain, Simon Banks and his son, Daryl, " Jim made  
the introductions. 

 

Daryl nodded at her, his mouth full of food, while Simon reached  
over to shake her hand, thinking how beautiful she was. 

 

As their hands met and they looked at one another, Sadryna felt a thrill  
of electricity go through her. *This is one sexy man,* she thought, wondering  
if he was still married. She looked at his  
ring finger--no ring, a good sign, but she'd ask him later, just  
to be sure. 

 

"Oh, man, I ate like way too much, I don't think I'll ever be  
able to move again, " Blair moaned, as he lay back on the blanket. 

 

"I told you that you shoulda let me have that last piece of cake, Blair--I  
could eat 3 or 4 more pieces of that cake, it was good, " Daryl said. 

 

"You must have a hollow leg you're trying to fill up there,  
Daryl, " Blair teased. 

 

"No way, man, I think my entire body is hollow, I eat so much,  
but never seem to gain any weight, " Daryl replied. 

 

Simon watched as Sadryna changed her son's diaper, and asked,  
"Are you married, Sadryna? " 

 

"No, I'm a widow, " she replied. 

 

"A widow? You're so young...I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry, " Simon  
said. 

 

"That's alright. My husband, Kevin, was a firefighter in San  
Diego. He was killed in a fire a year ago July. We'd only been  
married six months and I didn't even find out I was pregnant  
until about a week after Kevin died. Then about 4 months ago, I  
got the opportunity to work at Rainier--I'm glad I decided to  
come here--I found my family. So, something good did come out of  
all the bad, " she finished. 

 

She looked so tiny and fragile sitting there, that Simon just  
wanted to take her in his arms and protect her from any more  
pain. He shook his head, trying to understand why he was having  
such strong feelings about a woman he'd just met. *Hmm, maybe  
this is what they mean by love at first sight?* he thought as he  
watched her. Simon realized that she'd just asked him a question  
and he'd missed it completely. "I'm sorry, I missed what you  
said. " 

 

"I asked if you were married or not? " Sadryna replied, smiling at Simon.  
She really liked this man, and was hoping like hell he  
wasn't married. 

 

"No, I'm divorced, it's been about two years now, " Simon  
answered. 

 

"Oh, that's too bad, Simon, " Sadryna said, not really meaning it, and  
very glad this man was unattached, there was something about  
him... 

 

Jim and Stephen decided to go for a walk so they could talk.  
"Look, Jim, about yesterday--I'm sorry I freaked out on you guys. I was  
just so surprised--I needed time to think about it. " 

 

"It's okay, Stephen, I understand. It threw me for a loop when I  
first found out about it, too. I've been thinking about it, and  
I want to see Mom again, I don't know if you do or not. I'd  
understand if you didn't... " Jim said. 

 

"Oh, yeah, I do want to see her again. I mean, we wasted fifteen  
years not speaking to each other, and it's been almost thirty  
years since we've seen Mom. I missed her, Jim, I really did, "  
Stephen said, quietly. 

 

"I know, I did, too, " Jim replied. "Let's go talk to Sadryna  
about this, okay? " 

 

Stephen nodded, and the two brothers made their way back to where their  
sister was talking with Simon. 

 

Sadryna Cameron's house, two weeks later 

 

Sadryna smiled and hugged her mother, "Oh, Mom, it's so good to  
see you again, " she said. 

 

"I know sweetheart. Now where is that beautiful grandson of  
mine? " Cathryn asked. 

 

"He's upstairs, taking his nap. I'll bring him down in a little  
while, " Sadryna replied, as she led her mother toward the  
library. She stopped just outside the door, and turned her mother to  
look at her. "Mom, there are a couple of people in there who  
want to see you, " Sadryna said, smiling, and let her mother go  
into the room. 

 

Cathryn saw the two men standing by the fireplace, and when they  
turned around, she gasped. *Oh my God, it can't be, not after all these  
years--my boys!* 

 

Jim and Stephen both said "Mom! " at the same time and rushed over to  
hug her. Sadryna watched from the doorway for a few seconds,  
before quietly closing the door and going to wait in the living  
room with Blair. 

 

"Oh, my. James, Stephen. I can't believe this. I think I'd better sit  
down, " Cathryn said, knowing her legs wouldn't hold her up  
much longer. 

 

The three of them made it to the couch, where Cathryn sat between her  
two grown sons, just looking at them--they had both turned  
out so handsome. "Dear God, how did you find out about your  
sister? " she asked. 

 

Jim explained what had happened, not mentioning the Sentinel part of  
things--his mother had enough to deal with--and how he'd seen  
the pictures on the mantle and recognized them, and that Sadryna  
had told them what had happened, why she had left them. 

 

"How can you two ever forgive me for what I did? " Cathryn asked  
her sons. 

 

"Mom, you did what you thought was for the best, didn't you? "  
Stephen asked. 

 

"Yes, but-- " 

 

Stephen cut her off, "You couldn't know how things would turn  
out, and you did what you thought was right. As we all know,  
hindsight is 20/20. I know we've both forgiven you, and besides,  
we've lost almost 30 years, we don't want to lose any more, right Jim? " 

 

"Right. Mom, Stephen and I know all too well how foolish it is to stay  
angry for too long, " Jim answered, smiling at his mother. 

 

"What do you mean, Jim? What the hell did Joe do to you two? "  
Cathryn asked, almost afraid of the answer. 

 

For the next hour, Jim and Stephen told their mother about what  
their lives had been, after she left, and she answered their  
questions about what her life had been like for the past decades. 

 

When they'd finished, she looked at her boys sadly, "I'm so sorry for  
leaving you to be treated like that by Joe, and for not  
trying to find you later, but I was so scared you'd hate me... "  
she said, fighting the tears. 

 

"Mom, we love you. Don't waste time feeling guilty, the important thing  
is that you are here with us now, you're back in our lives, which is  
something I've wanted for years, " Jim said as he hugged  
his mother. 

 

"Yeah, Mom, we've forgiven you, you have to forgive yourself. I'm just  
happy you're here, finally, " Stephen added, as he too,  
hugged his mother. 

 

Cathryn returned the boys' embraces and then asked, "So, are  
either of you married? Do I have any other grandchildren? " 

 

"No to both questions for me, Mom. Guess I just haven't found the right  
person, yet, " Stephen answered. 

 

"I was married for a couple of years. We divorced about three  
years ago, and we didn't have any children. But I do have someone special  
in my life, " Jim paused, not sure how his mother would  
react to the news her eldest son was with a man. Sadryna had  
assured him that Cathryn wouldn't have a problem with it, but he  
wasn't so sure. "His name is Blair Sandburg, and we've been  
together for almost two years, " Jim finished, waiting to see how  
his mother would react. 

 

She looked at her son, "You're gay? I'm a little surprised but  
Jim as long as you're happy with Blair, and are in love, that's  
wonderful, I'm very happy for you. So, I suppose grandchildren  
are out of the question now? " she asked, smiling. 

 

"Well, maybe not. It's something Blair and I have been talking  
about it--we might adopt, or try the surrogacy route. But it  
probably won't be for a little while, " Jim told his mother. 

 

"Oh, that would be wonderful, Jim. I'd really like to meet  
Blair, " she said. 

 

"He is here. I imagine he and Sadryna are off somewhere,  
talking, " Jim replied. 

 

"Let's go find them, then. I need to talk to my daughter, "  
Cathryn said as she rose off the couch, her sons following her. 

 

Sadryna heard the door to the library open, and taking Blair's  
hand, headed for the hallway. Both of them were relieved to see  
the smiles on the faces of the other three. 

 

When she saw her daughter, Cathryn went over and hugged her, "Oh, Sadryna,  
thank you for this, so much. I guess you were right, I  
should've looked for them before this. I love you, my baby girl, " she  
said. 

 

"I'm just happy to see you so happy, Mom. Plus, I'm not an only  
child anymore, " she teased her mother. 

 

Jim had put his arm around Blair, and now reached over and  
touched his mother's shoulder. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my  
lover, Blair Sandburg. Blair, this is my mother, Cathryn  
Cameron, " Jim made the introductions proudly. 

 

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cameron, " Blair said. 

 

As she hugged the younger man, Cathryn said to him, "Please,  
Blair, I'm already an old woman, don't make me feel like one,  
call me Cat. " 

 

Blair laughed as he returned her embrace, "Okay, Cat, but you're  
not an old woman. Why, if I didn't know better, I'd think you and Sadryna  
were sisters, " he said, meaning it. 

 

Linking her arm through Blair's and walking towards the living  
room, Cathryn said, "I think we're going to get along very well,  
Blair. So, what do you do for a living, and just how did you meet my  
son? " 

 

"I'm an anthropologist at Rainier University... " 

 

Jim looked at his siblings as they followed the other two into  
the living room, "Well, we won't be able to talk to her for at  
least an hour, now that Blair's started, " he joked. 

 

"Oh, please Jim, it'll be at least two hours, you know how  
Blair gets--once he starts talking, he doesn't like to stop, "  
Sadryna said, and they all laughed. 

 

The Loft, six months later 

 

It was a little crowded in the loft, with everybody who had been  
there for the dinner, celebrating Jacob's first birthday. At this particular  
moment, Jacob was sitting with his Uncle Stephen,  
who'd managed to get the arm chair before anyone else. Jim and  
Blair sat on one couch, with Sadryna and Simon on the other  
couch. Naomi and Cathryn sat at the kitchen table, looking at  
each other's photograph albums, sharing stories of their  
children. 

 

Cathryn and Naomi had met when Naomi had arrived to visit Blair a week  
ago, and they had hit it off immediately, discovering they  
had many interests in common. In fact, Naomi was staying at  
Cathryn's house, not wanting to be a bother to her son and his 

 

lover. Besides, as she had confided to Cathryn, it sometimes got  
a little noisy at the loft during the night. 

 

Cathryn had decided to sell her house in Seattle and move to  
Cascade, since all three of her children and her grandchild, now  
lived there, and she wanted to be close to them. 

 

They were currently looking at Blair's baby pictures, "My, Blair  
was a cute little baby, Naomi, wasn't he? " 

 

"Well, I might be a little prejudiced, but I always thought he  
was gorgeous! " Naomi replied, laughing. 

 

"I guess all mothers feel that their children are the brightest,  
best and most beautiful, and of course, we're right, " Cathryn  
said with a laugh. 

 

"Aren't we, though? " 

 

Just then, there was a knock on the door, "I'll get it, " Jim  
said, as he rose off the couch and headed for the door. When he  
opened it, he stared at the man standing there, the last person  
on earth he'd expected to find at his door. 

 

"Hi, Jimmy, how are you doing? I didn't come at a bad time, did  
I? " Joe Ellison smiled and asked his son.


End file.
